As you probably know, the upcoming Star Trek 3 underwent a drastic change behind the scenes when its original director, series writer/producer Roberto Orci, stepped down last year and was replaced by Fast and Furious helmsman Justin Lin. Not only that, Orci’s departure created a need for a rewrite of the film’s screenplay, a task that has fallen upon cast member Simon Pegg and co-writer Doug Jung, as the film gears up for principal photography soon.

While he was still working on the project, Orci had numerous ideas for what the plot might entail, and after the release of Star Trek Into Darkness, he told us that he hoped to tell a new story set within the U.S.S. Enterprise crew’s iconic five-year mission into deep space. There were also months of persisting reports suggesting that the original Captain Kirk (William Shatner) would have a cameo in the third installment. But with the state of the screenplay in flux, many wondered if any of those concepts would be carried over into the new script.

Speaking with Den of Geek, Pegg offered some clarity on the situation, revealing that he and Jung started their process with a clean slate, as opposed to simply revising the work Orci had done previously:

“It’s completely new. I haven’t read Bob (Orci)’s script and they didn’t want us to. So we went back to the drawing board. We had creative meetings with Justin and there were things he wanted in there. I haven’t written like this before. I’ve never been a custodian of something, it’s usually mine what I’m writing. Whereas with this, you’re given a bunch of stuff – ‘Look we want this in it and this in it.’ Or Justin will say – he’s got an amazing visual mind, Justin. He’s great at that kind of choreography. So he’ll say, ‘What if this happens?’ So Doug and I go, ‘Okay, right, let’s try and get that into it.’ So it’s an interesting process.”

Even though some fans might be alarmed that the movie’s narrative is getting a complete overhaul so close to production starting, it really shouldn’t come as a shock that this is the case. The prevailing rumor surrounding Orci’s exit was that Paramount officials were unhappy with his initial script, so it makes sense that they would want to start from scratch. Also, as Pegg suggests, Lin came to the project with his own ideas for what should happen in the film, meaning that writing a brand new script was probably the easiest choice for all involved.

What exactly the creative team has in mind is anyone’s guess right now, but we have heard little clues on what we could expect. Pegg went on record recently saying that he wants the new film series to return to the optimistic and fun spirit of the original TV show, and earlier rumors suggested that Paramount is looking for something similar to Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy in regards to tone. After Into Darkness divided fans with its… darker take on the property, an entertaining romp through space should get longtime fans excited to boldly go where no one has gone before again.

Since it was never officially revealed what Orci had planned, it’s difficult to say if this is the best creative decision for Star Trek 3. However, his heavy involvement with the film never really enthused Trekkies from the start, so from that perspective it’s probably good Paramount is moving in a different direction. With an experienced filmmaker in Lin calling the shots, “the perfect fit” penning the script, and fan-favorite thespians like Idris Elba possibly joining the cast, Star Trek 3 is shaping up to be a rousing return to form for the iconic property – giving us hope the franchise can celebrate its 50th anniversary in style.